Second Stage Theatre News

The 5th Avenue Theatre and ACT - A Contemporary Theatre are proud to announce the Northwest premiere of Vanities: A New Musical, running at ACT from February 4 to May 1, 2011. With a book by Jack Heifner (who wrote the original play on which the musical is based) and music and lyrics by David Kirshenbaum, Vanities: A New Musical focuses on the friendship of three women who journey from high school innocence in the early '60s of the Kennedy era to maturity in the 'me-centered' ‘80s. As the story moves across the decades, their relationship is tested both by the world and each other.

The Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical winning musical Next to Normal broke its own box office record at the Booth Theatre (222 W. 45th Street) for its final week of performances, with a gross of $552,653 for the week ending January 16, 2011.

Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director) has announced that STEPHANIE J. BLOCK, DANIEL BREAKER, KIMBERLY HÉBERT GREGORY, KEVIN ISOLA and KAREN OLIVO will star in the world premiere comedy, BY THE WAY, MEET VERA STARK, the new play by Lynn Nottage, directed by Jo Bonney. BY THE WAY, MEET VERA STARK is Ms. Nottage's first play to be produced in New York since she won the Pulitzer Prize for Ruined in 2009.

San Diego actress Alice Ripley, who received the 2009 Tony Award® for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award®-winning Next to Normal, reprises her acclaimed performance in the musical's 36-week North American tour. It will play January 18 - 23,

Alice Ripley, who received the 2009 Tony Award® for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award®-winning Next to Normal, will reprise her acclaimed performance in the musical's 36-week multi-city North American tour, launching in November. It will play in San Diego January 18 - 23, 2011 at the Balboa Theatre, as a Broadway/San Diego ~ A Nederlander Presentation.

Alice Ripley, who received the 2009 Tony Award® for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award®-winning Next to Normal, will return to San Diego, where she spent several years performing in local productions, to reprise her acclaimed performance in the musical's 36-week multi-city North American tour, launching November 23 at the Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles. It will play in San Diego January 18-23, 2011 at the Balboa Theatre, as part of the current season of Broadway/San Diego ~ A Nederlander Presentation.

Tony nominee Annette Benning has taken home a Golden Globe Award for 'Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical' for her performance in THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT.

After 15 years of friendship and co-starring roles in Jonathan Larsen's Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Rent, Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal came together to bring fans what they've been waiting for: an up-close-and-personal concert featuring their individual work as well as fan-favorite numbers from the production that rocketed them to international stardom. Click below for Eyewitness News reporter Phil Lipof's coverage of the concert.

After 15 years of friendship and co-starring roles in Jonathan Larsen's Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Rent, Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal came together to bring fans what they've been waiting for: an up-close-and-personal concert featuring their individual work as well as fan-favorite numbers from the production that rocketed them to international stardom. BroadwayWorld was on hand for the event and brings you photo coverage below.

For the first time, Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp, the stars from 'RENT,' will embark on a National Concert Tour exclusively through rj productions. Feinstein's at Loews Regency will join rj productions in producing ADAM AND ANTHONY LIVE AT TOWN HALL on Monday, January 10, 2011 at 8 PM.

Acclaimed actress Anna Aimee White takes on the role of Ginger Rogers in Backwards In High Heels:The Ginger Musical, the captivating story of the star's journey from her hometown to Hollywood and from one love affair to another.

BroadwayWorld.com has learned that Andrew Burns will star as Miss Adelaide in GUYS AND DOLLS at the John W. Engeman Theater at Northport in Northport, NY. The show will be directed by Peter Flynn, with choreography by Marcos Santana. Casting for the other leads is currently under way. The show will run from April 14th to June 19th, 2011.

Andy Donald, current Associate Artistic Director of Naked Angels since April 2009, will assume the role of Artistic Director of the company in July of 2011, succeeding current Artistic Director Geoffrey Nauffts, who has held the position since September 2007.

Huntington Theatre Company announces casting for its world premiere production of Sons of the Prophet by Stephen Karam (columbinus, Speech & Debate), directed by Huntington Artistic Director Peter DuBois (Becky Shaw at the Almeida Theatre - London, Off Broadway, and the Huntington; Vengeance is the Lord's; Trust). Drama Desk Award winner Santino Fontana (The Importance of Being Earnest, Billy Elliot, Brighton Beach Memoirs) plays Joseph, a former runner now dealing with health issues and the recent death of his father. Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards winner Joanna Gleason (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Joe Egg, Into the Woods) plays Gloria, a formerly successful New York editor who is now Joseph's employer in Nazareth, PA.

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater is pleased to announce that it will launch the national tour of Second Stage Theatre's production Let Me Down Easy.

San Diego actress Alice Ripley, who received the 2009 Tony Award® for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award®-winning Next to Normal, reprises her acclaimed performance in the musical's 36-week North American tour. It will play January 18 - 23,

Executive Producer Lou Spisto today announced the complete cast and creative team for the Globe's revival of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman.

2010 was a year filled with all sorts of exciting BroadwayWorld interviews - here's some of this year's highlights!

Acclaimed actress Anna Aimee White takes on the role of Ginger Rogers in Backwards In High Heels:The Ginger Musical, the captivating story of the star's journey from her hometown to Hollywood and from one love affair to another.

Ars Nova (Jason Eagan, Artistic Director; Jeremy Blocker, Managing Director) proudly presented the return of The Joe Iconis Christmas Spectacular on Friday, December 17, Saturday December 18 and Sunday, December 19, 2010. Joe Iconis and cast members from his musical, Bloodsong of Love, were joined by a merry band of musical theater punks in the third annual insane celebration of all things red and green. The event featured brand new holiday songs, old favorites, tiny elves, enormous reindeer, an inebriated Mr. and Mrs. Claus, and an ungodly number of candy canes.